Mystic and Rider: The Twelve Houses, Book 1

The fire mystic Senneth crosses the country of Gillengaria on a mission for the king, trying to discover if noble marlords from the Twelve Houses are planning an uprising. She is accompanied by the soldiers Justin and Tayse, two King's Riders who are unswervingly loyal to the crown. Also on the journey are the shape-changers Kirra and Donnal, and a young mystic named Cammon who can practically read minds.

Troubled Waters: Elemental Blessings, Book 1

Zoe Ardelay receives astonishing and unwelcome news: she has been chosen to become the king's fifth wife. Forced to go to the royal city, she manages to slip away and hide on the shores of the mighty river. It's there that Zoe realizes she is a coru prime, ruled by the elemental sign of water. She must return to the palace, not as an unwilling bride for the king, but a woman with power in her own right.

Dreamer's Pool: Blackthorn & Grim, Book 1

In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she'll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help. Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais.

Mage Slave: The Enslaved Chronicles, Book 1

Crown Prince Aven Lanuken wants something more than a trophy for a future wife. He wants a woman who will be more friend than follower. A queen who will be more warrior than diplomat. He wants a partner he can trust...with a dangerous secret that's kept him trapped in a dark mountain fortress his entire life.

The Hallowed Hunt

The half-mad Prince Boleso has been slain by a noblewoman he had intended to defile. It falls to Lord Ingrey kin Wilfcliff to transport the prince to his burial place and to bring the accused killer, Lady Ijada, to judgment. The road he travels with his burden and his prisoner is fraught with danger. But in the midst of political chaos, magic has the fiercer hold on Ingrey's destiny, and Ijada herself may turn out to be the only one he dares trust.

The Dark Mirror: Bridei Trilogy #1

One bitter Midwinter's Eve, everything changes when Bridei finds a child on their doorstep - a child abandoned by the Fair Folk. It is the height of ill fortune to have truck with the Fair Folk, and all in the area counsel the babe's death. But Bridei sees an old and precious magic at work and, heedless of the danger, fights to save the child. Broichan is wary but relents, for Bridei must grow to be his own man and make his own decisions.

Burn for Me: A Hidden Legacy, Book 1

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career - a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile situation. Nevada isn't sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire. Then she's kidnapped by Connor "Mad" Rogan - a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers.

Cold Welcome: Vatta's Peace, Book 1

Summoned to the home planet of her family's business empire, space-fleet commander Kylara Vatta is told to expect a hero's welcome. But instead she is thrown into danger unlike any other she has faced and finds herself isolated, unable to communicate with the outside world, commanding a motley group of unfamiliar troops, and struggling day by day to survive in a deadly environment with sabotaged gear. Only her undeniable talent for command can give her ragtag band a fighting chance.

Poison Study

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace, and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster.

The Shape of Desire: A Shifting Circle Novel, Book 1

For 15 years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself.

Crystal Soldier: Liaden Universe Books of Before, Book 1

Centuries in the past, mankind fought a seemingly unbeatable adversary from sector to sector across the Spiral Arm until the war ground to a standstill and the Enemy withdrew. Believing that they had won, the citizens of the galaxy rebuilt. The Inner Worlds, which had escaped the worst of the war's ravages, became even more insular, while the Rim worlds adopted a free and easy way with law and order. Now, hundreds of years after their withdrawal, the Enemy is back - and this time they'll be satisfied with nothing less than the extinction of the galaxy.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

When 19-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin - one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

Written in Red: A Novel of the Others

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut - a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg's Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard - a business district operated by the Others. Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job.

The Broken Ones

Below Forsaken Mountain, a plot is being hatched to overthrow the tyrant king of Trollus, and Marc is the right-hand man of its leader. His involvement is information more than one troll would kill to possess, which is why he must keep it a secret from everyone, even the girl he loves. After accidentally ruining her sister's chance to become queen, Pénélope is given one last opportunity by her father, the Duke d'Angoulême, to make herself useful: she must find proof that the boy she's in love with is conspiring against the crown.

The Hundredth Queen

As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood in the ancient Tarachand Empire, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she's an unlikely candidate for even a servant's position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood's mountain temple. But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda's life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home.

Green Rider

Karigan G’ladheon, running away from school, is traveling through a deep forest when a galloping horse pounds up to her, its rider impaled by two black-shafted arrows. With his dying breath, he tells her he is a Green Rider, one of the magical messengers of the King. Before he dies, he makes Karigan swear to deliver the message he’s carrying, and gives her his green coat, with the symbolic brooch of his office.

Skinwalker: Jane Yellowrock, Book 1

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind-a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she's been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie's Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps.

Publisher's Summary

King Baryn has decided that if he marries his daughter Amalie to a high-ranking noble, the rebellious marlords might be pacified and he might be able to avert a war. So he invites all the young serramar to the royal city to court his daughter. To protect Amalie from any unsavory suitors, the mystic Cammon is installed to monitor all of Amalie's courtships, because Cammon is a reader who can tell if someone harbors violence or malevolence in his heart.

Much to the dismay of her advisors, Amalie begins to fall in love with the wholly unsuitable Cammon. Even worse, war comes to Gillengaria anyway, and Amalie can only be kept safe through the combined efforts of the Riders, the mystics - and the wild raelynx that has mystical powers of its own.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Sharon Shinn.

I loved this series so much I hated to see it end. It took sometime to get used to the new narrator, Joe Barrett -- and I have to admit, I never did warm to his interpretation of Kira, but I was able to over-look it. The story was so engaging and the battle at the end was great. I hope Sharon Shinn continues to write for the main characters, and that Audible gets more of her work soon. Highly recommended..

This is a delightful book. Exciting, imaginative, beautifully written, and wonderfully narrated. The worst part of this book was that it came to an end. I really will miss these characters. I enjoyed all the Mystic and Rider books, but this one was even more exceptional.

This has been my favorite series i have listened to to date. I will be re-reading them all again i'm sure. I will miss the characters as i have become so attached to them all. Every book has had me captivated from beginning to end, just wish there were many more book to the series and it never end's lol. Just love it so much.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Honestly, when I finish Part I, I'll probably stop listening. If you are thinking of buying this audio book, I recommend you buy a print or ebook version instead.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Reader and Raelynx?

Won't spoil the plot but it involves the raelynx!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Joe Barrett?

The original narrator, Jennifer van Dyck, should have been hired to narrate all five books. She does male voices just fine, whereas Joe Barrett makes Kirra sound like a 1980s drag queen. It is extremely offputting. I could not finish listening to Dark Moon Defender and I don't know if I'll be able to finish Reader and Raelynx. I do wish there was a new version of this book with Jennifer van Dyck. I would buy it, even though I've already purchased this version.

Do you think Reader and Raelynx needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It has a followup book. Unfortunately, it has yet another narrator. Jennifer van Dyck should have been re-hired, especially after the fiasco with Joe Barrett.

Any additional comments?

Stick to Mystic and Rider, Thirteenth House, and Troubled Waters in audio version. Get the rest in print or ebook. And check out other titles narrated by Jennifer van Dyck, especially those by Jack McDevitt.

I am very afraid of ending up with love story instead of fantasy. I nearly dropped this one. The first three books were very interesting. Good magic mechanics, great world making job, well thought characters and friendship. However the friendship was strangely ideal but I could have lived with it. And then the love went treated the same way not once but many times. This simply was too much for me. But perhaps I am simply not a good recipient for this. Many other reviewers tend to react differently.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Love like in fairy tales. The same thing is happening again and again, stealing the story away, putting an end to the dynamic. You do not want to endure more of this even to know how good and bad magic would clash.

Have you listened to any of Joe Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

As said before, the love part is chocking the story.

Could you see Reader and Raelynx being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Well yes. I think it is different enough from what has been made till now. Good action, strong characters and independent women. However the love story is probably to conformist and ideal with too few twists.

Any additional comments?

Comparing with Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson), the love component also annoys me very much, however it is very different in nature (the same as in Vampire's diary).<br/>Comparing with Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock), this I like very much. No fairy-tale-like love, it is more grown-up and blends well with the story line. Even though it is again one woman and two men (possibly three), exactly as Mercy Thompson.

Would you consider the audio edition of Reader and Raelynx to be better than the print version?

No

Who was your favorite character and why?

Senneth is my favorite character; she is the center around which the story (in the first four books) revolves. She is a strong character but has vulnerablilties that give her more than one dimension.<br/><br/>Next favorite would be Kirra--she can be a hoyden or a great lady with equal sincerity, and she is someone you want to be at your back.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Joe Barrett?

Anyone. He had the same voice with only a few differences for each character, and the voice he chose for Tayse sounded like a prude who had just eaten a lime.

Any additional comments?

I love Sharon Shinn's books of the Twelve Houses. I'm so very sorry she has concluded writing about this world.

Yes. I have read the book several times, and I will definitely listen to this again. The only thing that spoils it slightly, is the ridiculous accent Joe Barrett gives to the character of Cammon. The story is superb.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Reader and Raelynx?

All of it :-))

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Lose the silly accent he assigned to the main character of this book in the series, Cammon.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

No idea.

Any additional comments?

I have loved these books for years. I love the characters, and the action is wonderfully done.

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